1 Samuel 11

1 And Nahash the Ammonite comes up, and encamps against Jabesh-Gilead, and all the men of Jabesh say to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we serve you.”

And it came to pass about a month after this, that Naas the Ammanite went up, and encamped against Jabis Galaad: and all the men of Jabis said to Naas the Ammanite, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.

2 And Nahash the Ammonite says to them, “For this I cut [a covenant] with you, in picking out every right eye of yours—and I have set it [for] a reproach on all Israel.”

Naas the Ammanite said to them, On these terms will I make a covenant with you, that I should put out all your right eyes, and I will lay a reproach upon Israel.

3 And [the] elderly of Jabesh say to him, “Leave us alone [for] seven days, and we send messengers into all the border of Israel: and if there is none saving us—then we have come out to you.”

And the men of Jabis say to him, Allow us seven days, and we will send messengers into all the coasts of Israel: if there should be no one to deliver us, we will come out to you.

4 And the messengers come to Gibeah of Saul, and speak the words in the ears of the people, and all the people lift up their voice and weep;

And the messengers came to Gabaa to Saul, and they speak the words into the ears of the people; and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

5 and behold, Saul has come out of the field after the herd, and Saul says, “What [is that] to the people, that they weep?” And they recount the words of the men of Jabesh to him.

And, behold, Saul came after the early morning out of the field: and Saul said, Why does the people week? and they tell him the words of the men of Jabis.

6 And the Spirit of God prospers over Saul, in his hearing these words, and his anger burns greatly,

And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled against them.

7 and he takes a couple of oxen, and cuts them in pieces, and sends [them] through all the border of Israel, by the hand of the messengers, saying, “He who is not coming out after Saul and after Samuel—thus it is done to his oxen”; and the fear of YHWH falls on the people, and they come out as one man.

And he took two cows, and cut them in pieces, and sent them into all the coasts of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, Whoso comes not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall they do to his oxen: and a transport from the Lord came upon the people of Israel, and they came out to battle as one man.

8 And he inspects them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel are three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

And he reviews them at Bezec in Bama, every man of Israel six hundred thousand, and the men of Juda seventy thousand.

9 And they say to the messengers who are coming, “Thus you say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: Tomorrow you have safety—by the heat of the sun”; and the messengers come and declare [it] to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoice;

And he said to the messengers that came, Thus shall you say to the men of Jabis, To-morrow you shall have deliverance when the sun is hot; and the messengers came to the city, and told the men of Jabis, and they rejoiced.

10 and the men of Jabesh say [to the Ammonites], “Tomorrow we come out to you, and you have done to us according to all that [is] good in your eyes.”

And the men of Jabis said to Naas the Ammanite, To-morrow we will come forth to you, and you shall do to us what seems good in your sight.

11 And it comes to pass, on the next day, that Saul puts the people in three detachments, and they come into the midst of the camp in the morning-watch, and strike Ammon until the heat of the day; and it comes to pass that those left are scattered, and there have not been left two of them together.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Saul divided the people into three companies, and they go into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and they struck the children of Ammon until the day was hot; at it came to pass that those who were left were scattered, and there were not left among them two together.

12 And the people say to Samuel, “Who is he that says, Saul reigns over us? Give up the men, and we put them to death.”

And the people said to Samuel, Who has said that Saul shall not reign over us? Give up the men, and we will put them to death.

13 And Saul says, “There is no man put to death on this day, for today YHWH has worked salvation in Israel.”

And Saul said, No man shall die this day, for today the Lord has wrought deliverance in Israel.

14 And Samuel says to the people, “Come and we go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there”;

And Samuel spoke to the people, saying, Let us go to Galgala, and there renew the kingdom.

15 and all the people go to Gilgal, and cause Saul to reign there before YHWH in Gilgal, and sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings there before YHWH, and Saul rejoices there—and all the men of Israel—very greatly.

And all the people went to Galgala, and Samuel anointed Saul there to be king before the Lord in Galgala, and there he offered meat-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord: and Samuel and all Israel rejoiced exceedingly.